Sue Lyon, the actress controversially cast as Dolores Haze in Stanley Kubrick’s 1962 adaptation of the Nabokov novel Lolita, has died aged 73. 

She “had been in declining health for some time”, a longtime friend tells the New York Times, and passed away in Los Angeles on Thursday.

Lyon was only 14 when she was cast as the 12 year old protagonist of Lolita, who is pursued by a much older man. The decision caused controversy at the time, but her performance still won her an award for most promising female newcomer at the 1963 Golden Globes and the film has since gained critical acclaim.

She went on to star in various other films through the 1960s – including 1964’s The Night of the Iguana and John Ford’s last feature film, 7 Women – but played her final role in 1980.